Asian Rice Bowls with Honey Soy Pork Tenderloin

Get dinner on the table in 30 minutes with this colorful, veggie packed sweet and spicy Asian Rice Bowls with Honey Soy Pork Tenderloin.

It’s officially back to school season and if I’m correct some of you have been back to school for a couple of weeks already.

As a born and bred New Yorker, I’ve always had difficulty wrapping my head around the idea of going back to school before Labor Day weekend. In my mind the definition of summer was having off for all of July and August. Isn’t it cruel to make kids go back to school when it’s still hot and the sun in shining bright outside?

Then again, ever since I finished school 14 years (omg, 14 years!!!) ago, I haven’t given much thought to the entire back to school process. Until this year because my husband is heading back – to -school! After 14 years, he’s heading back to graduate school, conveniently located just around the corner from our apartment (you have to love city living for this reason!).

Our lives are certainly going to become a little busier than they already are for the next two years but we are up for the challenge and I’m most certainly proud of him for taking the step of heading back to school after such a long hiatus.

Busy schedules means it’s time to plan ahead for dinner, after long days of cooking and baking (me), studying and music playing (him), the last thing we want is to deal with a complicated meal at night. I’m going to take a wild guess here but I think we’re not the only family who’s looking for a simple meal after a long day.

Which is why my go-to during busy times is this Asian Rice Bowl with Honey Soy Pork Tenderloin. It does take a tiny bit of advance preparation with marinating the pork either the night before or morning of but it’s worth giving up 10 minutes of your time for.

The pork tenderloin sits in a simple marinade of cubed pork tenderloin, soy sauce honey, garlic, ginger, sriracha and black pepper. I absolutely love using honey in all of my marinades – it’s a natural sweetener that dissolves quickly and easily without having to cook down the marinade first. It provides balance to a variety of foods and flavors, in this case we’re talking about sweet and savory (or umami) of the soy sauce; bitter from the ginger and the spice of the garlic and sriracha. Honey also adds a rich, golden color to foods, making it ideal for browning and of course that rich gorgeous glaze we’ll achieve once the marinade is reduced down to sauce.

Since most of the work is done is advance, dinner is prepped in just 30 short minutes. While the rice cooks, you get started on the rest and since everything will be tossed together in the same bowl, there’s no need to dirty multiple pots and pans. I love using a wok for meals like this but if you don’t have one, any large skillet will do.

I paired this dish with quickly cooked baby bok choy and diced carrots, but feel free to swap out those vegetables if you have picky eaters in your household. Broccoli or snap peas will work just as well.

This post is sponsored on behalf of The National Honey Board. As always all opinions are my own and thanks for supporting brands that I work with.

1lb baby bok choy - cleaned and cut in half or quarters depending on the size

1 medium carrot, cut into half moons

1 cup uncooked jasmine rice

Instructions

In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, minced ginger, sriracha and black pepper until the honey is dissolved.

Pour in a ziptop bag containing the cubed pork, seal and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, prepare the rice according to the packages directions.

In a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat drizzle 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and remove the pork from the marinade using tongs or a slotted spoon, reserving the marinade for later.

Cook the pork for about 10 minutes or until it is no longer pink.

Remove from the wok and set aside in a bowl tented with foil.

Add the carrots to the wok, adding a little more oil if necessary and cook for about 2-3 minutes and then add in the baby boy choy. Pour in 1/4 cup of water and cover the wok to steam the vegetables for about 5-6 minutes or until the bok choy is tender.

Remove the cover and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the carrots and bok choy start to brown slightly and the leaves at the end of the bok choy are wilted.

Remove from the wok and then pour in reserved marinade, bring to a boil and cook until the marinade is thick about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To plate, divide the rice between bowls and top with pork, bok choy and carrots and drizzle the sauce on top.

Notes

The reserved marinade prepares just a small amount of sauce to top the rice bowls, if you prepare more sauce on top, simply double the amount of marinade and add 1-2 minutes of cooking time for it to reduce down to a sauce.